Can cats eat sausages?

Before mentioning whether sausages are suitable for cats, we must differentiate the different types of sausages that we can find on the market:

• The fresh sausages They are fresh sausages generally made from minced beef or pork, to which other ingredients such as fat, salt and different seasonings or spices are added.
• The frankfurter type sausages They are cooked meat derivatives made from minced pork, chicken or turkey meat, bacon, water, salt and spices. In addition, they usually contain other ingredients such as powdered milk, soy protein, antioxidants and preservatives.

Both fresh and Frankfurt type sausages provide certain nutritional benefits and do not contain any ingredients that are toxic to the cat’s body, but despite this, They are not a recommended food for these animalssince contain high levels of fat and salt.

In other words, when assessing the risk/benefit of including sausages in the cat’s diet, we find more drawbacks than benefits, especially when they are offered on a recurring basis or in large quantities. Therefore, it is preferable to avoid the contribution of this food to our pets.

In the kittens it is especially advisable to avoid this type of processed food, since they can cause gastrointestinal disturbances. Therefore, to the question of “can baby cats eat sausage”, the answer is no.

Can cats eat cooked sausage?

As we have just mentioned, sausages should not be part of the regular diet of cats. However, its consumption in small quantities and in a timely mannerdoes not have to entail any serious harm to the health of these animals.

Now, can cats eat raw sausages, or should they be cooked? The truth is that raw meat can contain pathogenic microorganisms capable of causing foodborne diseases in cats. Therefore, cats should never eat sausages or any other type of meat product without cooking. Even if they only consume the sausages occasionally, it is important to ensure that they are properly cooked, to avoid any microbiological risk.

Sausages are a fatty food (with a fat content ranging between 20-30%), which also has a high salt content, which is why they are not considered recommended foods for cats.

However, it is true that they provide a series of nutritional benefits, such as:

• They provide protein of animal originof high biological value: this is only applicable to fresh sausages, since frankfurters have a considerably lower quality protein.
• They are a source of minerals: such as iron, magnesium, phosphorus, selenium or zinc.
• They provide some B vitamins: as thiamine or vitamin B1, riboflavin or vitamin B2, niacin or vitamin B3, pyridoxine or vitamin B6 and cyanocobalamin or vitamin B12).

In any case, we have already mentioned that these nutritional benefits are not worth the negative effects that the high fat and salt content of this food can cause.

Although sausages should not be part of the regular diet of cats, we have already seen that their consumption in small amounts and in a timely manner, in principle, does not have to produce any harmful effect on these animals.

If in a timely manner, you want to reward your cat with this food, you can cut a small piece (approximately one centimeter) and offer it to him in small cubes. However, whenever you can, try to substitute this food for healthier ones (such as lean meat, fish or treats specially formulated for cats).

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First of all, we must remember that cats can eat sausages cooked, but not raw. Therefore, in case you decide to offer this food as a prize, it is important that you cook it first. However, it will only be necessary to cook the fresh sausages, since frankfurters are meat derivatives that have already been heat treated.

As for the composition of the sausages, cats can eat chicken, turkey, pork, beef, etc. sausages. although it is preferable to opt for chicken or turkeysince they tend to have a lower fat content.

The negative effects that sausages can cause on the health of cats are related to the high levels of fat and salt they contain:

• Excess fat promotes onset of obesity: which increases the risk of the appearance of a multitude of diseases (liver problems, diabetes, osteoarticular diseases, cardiovascular pathologies, etc.). This risk is especially important in neutered cats, since they are animals with a greater tendency to obesity.
• Excess salt favors onset of hypertension and the aggravation of heart and kidney disease: This risk is especially important in older cats, where chronic kidney disease is one of the main causes of morbidity and mortality.

As we have seen throughout the article, although sausages are not a particularly recommended food for cats, they can consume them very occasionally and in small quantities.

However, there are certain individuals in which its contribution is completely contraindicated, such as:

• cats with overweight.
• cats castrated.
• cats with hypertension.
• cats with heart and/or kidney disease.
• cats elderly.
• cats who require a low-fat diet: such as cats with episodes of gastroenteritis, inflammatory bowel disease or IBD, pancreatitis, etc.
• cats with allergies or food intolerances.
• cats with a digestive system especially sensitive to changes in diet.

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